The Heroine Who is Faithfully Loved: Madhya Svadhinapatika Nayika, from a Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta
1710
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1710
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Heroine Who is Faithfully Loved: Madhya Svadhinapatika Nayika, from a Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta is a 1710 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman in a gold-trimmed red sari sits on a long cushion, her hand raised as she talks to a friend. Behind her, a dark doorway frames a garden with pink flowers. The scene feels quiet, like a private moment. This painting comes from a book of love poems written in the 1400s. The artist included the poem’s words on the back—both in Sanskrit and a local language. It’s rare to see the text and image together like this. If you like this, look up more paintings from northern india, pahari kingdoms.
The heroine sits in front of the elongated red cushion, gesturing to her companion in conversation. She is trying to decide if she should agree to submit to her husband or continue to be coy. A verse from a Sanskrit poem by Bhanudatta Misra, who lived during the late 1400s to early 1500s in northeastern India, has been quoted on the back of the painting. The verse has been written both in Sanskrit using the Takri script of the Pahari region and in a local vernacular translation.
The man at right nervously grasps his scarf as he respectfully approaches his lover and her companion.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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